Optus TV with Fetch offers a world of entertainment

When you get a broadband connection with Optus, whether it’s an ADSL2+, cable or NBN connection, you have the opportunity to also sign up for Optus TV with Fetch. This is an extra service that can enrich your television viewing experience in many different ways. But what exactly is it and how can you benefit from it? In this article, we will delve into all of the features that Optus TV with Fetch has to offer, and let you know why you should consider it as part of your bundled broadband plan.

What is Optus TV with Fetch?

Put simply, Optus TV with Fetch is a high-definition, digital set-top box recorder powered by Fetch TV that you can choose to rent as part of your monthly Optus broadband plan. It offers a multitude of functions, with the main one being the ability to watch, record and time-shift free-to-air television channels.

However, what you also get with the Fetch TV set-top box recorder is the ability to watch up to 30 on-demand movies per month using the included Movie Box service (it's refreshed with seven new titles each week), and also the ability to subscribe to extra channel packs that are delivered over the Internet. These include news, entertainment, and sports.

Who should get Optus TV with Fetch?

If you’re an avid watcher of TV, if you want to watch on-demand movies, if you have a foreign background and yearn for programs in your native language, or even if you’re a football (soccer) or rugby nut, you should consider Optus TV with Fetch, and here’s why.

Time-shift and record programs with ease

As we’ve already mentioned, the Fetch TV digital set-top box recorder is a versatile unit. It’s primarily aimed at those of you who are TV junkies and who want the ability to record and time-shift programs with ease. The Fetch TV box has three high-definition digital tuners inside, allowing you to record up to two TV shows simultaneously, while at the same time watching a third show. Meanwhile, a 1TB hard drive allows you to store up to 585 hours of standard definition programs. Indeed, recording TV is something the Fetch TV box does very well, and you can even set recordings from compatible smartphones and tablets.

Select what to watch and what to record by using the comprehensive EPG

Real-time EPG

Not only is the Fetch TV interface intuitive, it’s quick, and it has plenty of smarts. Its electronic program guide (EPG) is updated in real time, which means that there is little to no chance of your recording cutting out before a show has finished. You don’t have to worry about padding a recording with extra time before and after — simply select the show you want to record from the EPG’s grid, and then select the option to record it.

Keep track of your viewing

There is another option you can use, which is series recording. With a single action, you can set the Fetch TV box to record all of the episodes of a specific show, which is perfect for when you are on holidays or too busy to watch during the week. The recordings for these shows are sorted in folders, which means they are easy to find if you record a lot of programs during the week, and you can even tell the set-top box to only keep the most recent episodes of a show. After you’ve watched a show, a tick appears next to its name, so it’s easy to keep track of your viewing.

Free movies in the Movie Box

The Movie Box is a set of 30 movies that's provided free with Optus TV with Fetch. These movies are streamed through your Internet connection and available to watch at any time. A new movie is added every day, with the oldest one dropping off the list.

The Entertainment Pack

The Entertainment Pack is a group of 31 channels that you can select as an extra for your Optus TV with Fetch service. You should consider it if you want a greater selection of shows than what’s currently available on Australia’s free-to-air TV channels. It includes channels such as National Geographic, Disney, TVHits, MTV, Animal Planet, news stations from around the world, and much more. The Entertainment Pack is streamed through your broadband connection, but you can still pause and record shows just as you would if they were on free-to-air.

World Channel Packs

What really sets the Optus TV with Fetch service apart is its ability to deliver content that’s relevant to your background. There are many World Channel Packs available to choose from, which offer native channels from many regions around the world. You can select from the following:

Hindi pack, which has 18 channels from India and Pakistan

Great Wall Mandarin TV pack, which has 24 channels from China

Pinoy pack, which has eight channels from the Philippines

Korean pack, which has six channels from South Korea

TVB Cantonese pack, which has 10 channels from Hong Kong

Sun South Indian pack, which has 10 Tamil and Telugu channels from India

The channel packs are a key feature that separates the Fetch TV set-top box from other digital set-top boxes on the market, and they are available on a month-to-month basis without a lock-in period. If you no longer want a channel pack after one month, then you can cancel it without repercussions. If you want it again at a later date, then you can easily add it once again to your subscription. It’s a versatile offering that caters to many usage models and offers something for all tastes.

With on-demand movies, Optus TV with Fetch is basically like having a video store

On-demand movies

Further to the channel packs and the Movie Box, you can also rent new movie releases whenever you fancy on a pay-per-view basis. If there is a movie that catches your eye as you browse the Fetch TV interface, you can add it to your wishlist or purchase it right then and there with a simple click of a button on the remote control. The movie will then be available for you to watch over a period of 48 hours from the time that you purchase it. Fetch TV has a library of more than 2800 movies, and this is constantly growing.

For football fans

If you’re a fan of soccer or rugby, Fetch TV offers you the chance to subscribe to Setanta Sports. This is a 24/7 channel dedicated to soccer and rugby, and it gives you the ability to watch games live from a number of different soccer leagues around the world, including English Championship and German Bundesliga, and you can also watch live rugby union internationals and RBS Six Nations.

Are there any special requirements in order to use Optus TV with Fetch?

If you’re a fan of soccer or rugby, Fetch TV offers you the chance to subscribe to Setanta Sports. This is a 24/7 channel dedicated to soccer and rugby, and it gives you the ability to watch games live from a number of different soccer leagues around the world, including English Championship and German Bundesliga, and you can also watch live rugby union internationals and RBS Six Nations.

Connect to a modem-router

As for hardware requirements, you will need to plug the Optus TV with Fetch set-top box into your modem-router. Ideally, your modem-router should be located near your set-top box in order to facilitate this connection, mainly because a wireless connection between the set-top box and the router is unsupported.

However, there is a way around this: you could purchase Ethernet-over-powerline adapters, which are Ethernet ports that plug into your electrical outlets and use the existing electrical wiring in your home to transfer data between the modem-router and your set-top box.

Check your broadband speed

Because Optus TV with Fetch offers an Internet TV and on-demand movie component, it needs a fast broadband Internet connection. You should ensure that your connection can supply at least a speed of 3Mbps (megabits per second) download. You can use our Broadband Speed Test to check your connection speed.

The Optus TV with Fetch service’s quality will automatically scale to suite your connection speed, to offer you the best possible performance. In terms of picture quality, a fast connection will supply a picture that is crystal clear in high definition. Of course, free-to-air channels will be displayed at their native broadcast format, be it standard definition or Full HD.

What else can Optus TV with Fetch do for me?

In addition to letting you watch and record free-to-air TV and IP TV, and supplying an on-demand movie service, the Fetch TV set-top box offers a few more functions for you to explore.

A complete media hub

The interface is very clean so that you can easily access your recordings and your Media Hub.Through the Media Hub, you can access other computers, and also USB drives directly connected to the set-top box.

One key feature is the Media Hub, which can be accessed from the device’s menu system. This hub can find all of the media serving devices on your network, including network attached storage (NAS) devices, desktop PCs, laptops, and any other devices that have been set up to share music and video files. It will easily allow you to play content from these devices.

Furthermore, there are two USB ports on the rear of the set-top box. You can use these to plug in external hard drives filled with your personal media content. This allows you to access video files and music stored on your hard drives, while they are connected to the set-top box. Common file types such as MP4 are supported.

Catch-up on free-to-air TV

The Fetch TV set-top box supports the on-demand free-to-air services from ABC (iView) and SBS (SBS OnDemand). The same interface is used for both of these services within the set-top box, meaning they are simple to use and you don’t have to learn how to navigate each one. Fetch TV is also working with the other free-to-air channels, such as TEN, to provide more on-demand catch-up services, such as TENplay. TENplay became available on July 7. This will make Optus TV with Fetch a complete solution for catch-up TV.

Watch YouTube on your big screen

A YouTube app is built in to the Fetch TV set-top box, and it can be controlled from your smartphone or tablet. This means that you can search for and load YouTube clips from your mobile device, which are then displayed on your TV through the Fetch TV set-top box.

Watch and control content from mobile devices anywhere in your home

Mobile apps are available for you to take advantage of the Optus TV with Fetch service from a tablet or smartphone. For example, you can use your iPad to bring up the EPG and select programs to record. You can even watch content from your subscription channels and the Movie Box directly on the tablet within your own home. If you’re away from home, you can still use the Fetch TV app to select programs to record through the EPG, but you won’t be able to watch them. When you’re at home, your tablet with the Optus Fetch TV app can be your remote control.

How much does Optus TV with Fetch cost?

The easiest way to get Optus TV with Fetch is as part of a bundle with an Internet connection, either as part of a 24-month plan, or on a month-to-month basis. There are two main plans to choose from when deciding on an ADSL2+, cable or NBN connection that includes Optus TV with Fetch: 200GB or Unlimited Data. The 200GB plan costs $90 per month on a 24-month contract or $100 month-to-month, while the Unlimited Data plan costs $115 on a contract or $125 month-to-month.

The 200GB plan includes the basic Fetch TV service, in addition to the Movie Box, which gives you 30 free movies per month. The Unlimited Data plan adds the Entertainment Pack to the mix, in addition to the basic service and the 30 free movies per month.

Optus TV with Fetch can also be purchased on its own, not as part of a bundle, if you are an Optus Post Paid Mobile or fixed broadband account holder. The Connect package, which is the basic service with 30 free movies per month, costs $15 per month. Meanwhile, the Connect+Entertainment package costs $30 and includes the Entertainment pack of 30 channels in addition to the basic service and 30 free movies.

World Channel packs are an extra cost, and these range in price from $9.95 to $49.95 depending on the language. Setanta costs $14.95 per month, while the Entertainment Pack costs $15 per month.

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